A/N: Hi guys! Thanks so much for coming back to read this story! I know many of you have waited very patiently for me to update this, so here you go, I would like to thank my love J for helping me, now onto the story!
Hinata Hyuuga peeked at the man next to her. The one currently driving the car that the two of them were in. The same one who had knocked on her door. She had quickly agreed to go with him. But first she had needed to put on the proper attire. He had allowed her to do so, and watched as she scurried around her apartment, finding clothes to wear, and gathering up items she might need.
She had put on a simple pair of sneakers, and a light purple and white sweater. She also grabbed her purse,, cell phone, and keys. She felt very underdressed while she sat next to the masked stranger. Here she was, in her casual street clothes while he was dressed in a full suit. He even drove a sleek, red sports car. Hinata didn't know the model or make but she knew that it meant that he had a lot of money.
Money that she could only dream about having now. Not that money was important to her! She just wanted a bit more. Just enough for her to be able to live on her own effectively.
She felt like a complete idiot for hopping into a car with a stranger that she didn't know. She really should know better than that at her age. Hell, this was something that children were taught about in PSAs.
"Um, s-sir?" She decided to voice her concerns. "Why exactly am I-I needed?"
"Well, that's something that Kiba should explain. I'm sure you'll be..." he paused, searching for the right word. "Just a bit less upset if you hear the news from him rather than a complete stranger like me."
Despite the man's relaxed qtone and posture, his words caused Hinata to tense up.
'News? What news? Oh Kiba, what have you done now?' Hinata knew all too well of her boyfriend's ill temper and past offenses. She was well aware that he had spent more than a few nights in jail for his rowdy behavior before. He'd even come close to very serious jail time, and Hinata had to be the one to get him out of trouble. It was the type of behavior that she had grown used to, but completely detested it.
Her mind raced with the list of possible offences that her boyfriend could've done. Had he stolen drugs from the wrong person? Had he instigated a fight with a dangerous criminal? Had he finally gone that extra step and accidently beat someone to death? The last possibility made her feel numb all over. If that was the case, there was nothing Hinata could do to help him out of trouble. She wasn't even sure she'd want to help him out of a situation like that. How would she be able to live herself knowing that she helped a man who had committed murder?
She ran a hand over her face, and sighed. Either way, Hinata could almost guarantee that whatever the problem was might have to be fixed with money. It's usually how these situations ended up. Her mind already swarmed with the stress of getting a second job to try and keep up with this new bill. Or maybe her boyfriend could actually get a good, legal job to support the two of them. It would be like the good ol' days, back when they first started dating. Although if that happened, it would certainly be a miracle.
To have her sweet, carefree, drug free, alcohol free, boyfriend back would be amazing. The two of them would be able to spend more time together, go on more dates, shower each other with affections, etc. And maybe they wouldn't be completely financially stable, but they'd probably be in a better position than they are now. And maybe he would be able to respect her wishes of remaining a virgin until marriage. And maybe he wouldn't propose to her with a cheap ring a week later, after finding this information out.
Hinata sighed.
'Oh Kiba, if we make it out of this situation, you and I are going to have a very long talk'
"Hey, cheer up! I'm sure it won't be too bad." The masked man assured her.
"Really? You th-think so?" Hinata asked, looking up at the man next to her.
"Well, I can't really say much. But I can at least tell you that no harm is going to come to you."He informed her.
Hinata's mood brightened dramatically.
"But I can't say the same for your boyfriend. Sorry." He finished.
Hinata deflated slightly. Great, so she could maybe ensure her own safety but not the safety of Kiba. That would be a shame.
"Oh. C-can I at least know your name?" She asked him.
"Well, no again. But feel free to call me Dog. It's a name that I do sort of go by." He told her.
Hinata's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why couldn't she know his name? She wasn't at all a dangerou person, something she was sure he could quickly decipher about her. So it wasn't like her knowing his name would be detrimental to his health. And it's not like he was currently committing a crime. If Kiba owed him some money, or caused any problems, that would be Kiba's fault. The only reason Hinata could come up with that he wouldn't share his name is because he was part of a gan-
Hinata paled considerably. Her heartbeat went into overdrive as panic filled her system. It made sense. His hentisence in telling her what was going on, the expensive items on his person, and his attempts to conceal his identity. This man was probably the member of some gang. Which meant that Kiba had now done something to piss off an entire gang.
Which meant that Hinata now needed to become involved with said gang.
Multiple questions flurried around through her mind. Had Kiba stolen money from them? Had he stolen drugs? Was he apart of this gang? Had he done dealings with them? Had a deal gone sour? She stifled a gasp as an epiphany hit her.
Kiba's new job kept him away away from her most of the time, especially during the night. It also had him showing up with some cuts and bruises. And he would never tell her anything about the job . She couldn't believe that she had never made the connections before hand. She supposed a part of her realized something suspicious was happening, but she rather believe that he was cheating rather than involved in illegal activity. Getting involved in a gang would cause nothing but trouble.
She had always known this. It was the reason why she had always rejected him several years ago. He had been involved in a gang, and she didn't want to date a man who did those sort of things. But she stood by his side as his friend.
'Oh Kiba, how could you do this to me? You promised me you wouldn't do this to me again. Now what are you we gonna do?' Hinata asked within her mind.
She spent the entire car ride consumed with worry and fear. She even cursed and yelled at him from inside of her head. She would never be able to do it in person. If Hinata ever yelled at her boyfriend the way she truly wanted to, then he would surely lose his temper and most likely throw her out of the apartment. His pride was the most important thing to him in the entire world. For him to be so completely and totally rejected by him would be a blow to his ego that he would not be able to tolerate. At the very least it allowed her to get as much rage out of her system as possible before she had to meet him face to face.
"Alright, we're here." "Dog" said whilst parking the car. Without waiting for her, he exited the vehicle.
Hinata was very nervous. Every muscle in her body was tense as she stepped out of the car. The young woman was forced to try and take several deep breaths in order to calm herself down. She closed the door as gently as she possibly closed. She certainly didn't want to get this man upset by somehow damaging his very expensive looking car.
"Come on, follow me." 'Dog' beckoned her. He patiently waited in front of a building for her. She approached him with shaking legs. She tried scoping out the large building that he stood in front of. But he didn't walk inside of said building. Instead, once she was close enough he turned around and continued walking.
Her stomach dropped as she followed after him as she took in her surroundings. She recognized the area she was in. She was relatively close to the club where she had meant the blond man last week. Oh Kami, was this an area where gang members were common? Did Kiba really leave her alone to a gang filled club? Why would he do something like that to her.
Maybe that could explain why that man was so scared of the blond that night. Maybe he was a well known gang banger.
Hinata shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts from her head. The idea of her almost having sexual relations with someone deep in gang life troubled her mind so deeply that it would need to be blocked out. She could drown herself in panic and shame at a later time.
The blue haired woman moved closer to 'Dog' as he lead her away from the area. Instead he lead he lead her through several dark alleyways Despite it being the middle of the day it remained barely lit in these dingy little alleys. Worst of all, these places were not empty.
They were filled with either shady people, or shady animals. The animals were often isolated and looked rather sick and diseased. Hinata's heart actually cried for those poor little animals. The people, on the other hand, did not garner as much sympathy from her. They mostly traveled in groups of three or four. The only ones who didn't were the scantily clad women who were making very lewd suggestions towards Dog. The men were no better. They made very obscene comments on the things they would like to do to her, and even told her to ditch Dog to spend time with some "real men". Hinata struggled in keeping a straight face through all of this. She figured they wanted her to acknowledge them by reacting in some way and Hinata refused to give them that satisfaction.
But in an act of subconscious fear and disgust, Hinata moved closer to the masked gang member. She didn't know what he was capable of, but she did like to think that he could be used as some sort of shield. And hopefully, maybe, if some creep tried to make a physical move on her, he would keep her protected. She figured that the gang had maybe some interest in keeping her alive, since they apparently needed her to do some sort of business involving her boyfriend. At the very least, Hinata would have to admit that she currently trusted Dog more than she trusted any other person in these alleys.
Much to her surprise and relief, he shifted closer to her as well. She snapped up at him, her eyes wide in shock. He glanced at her, and his mouth shifted into a friendly smile from underneath his mask. He didn't say anything either. He simply turned back to staring straight ahead. Hinata wanted to ask him why he cared, but simply stayed quiet. As long as she had some mild protection, there was no need to question it.
Still, she remained uneasy as they traveled, as more and more groups of people appeared around them as they walked. How much of a seedy destination were they headed to? It seemed like these people thrived off of being disgusting and shady. A small part of her still wanted to turn around right here, right now and to never look back. It appeared as if maybe she were here voluntarily, so it might be possible for her to turn away. She wouldn't have to put up with these types of people, and wouldn't have to deal with her horrible boyfriend.
Hinata softly sighed to herself. She knew that even if she really wanted to, she wouldn't be able to do that. Kiba was a complete ass, that much was true. But Hinata was too much of a kind person to actually let anyone to get hurt or die if she could do something to prevent it. Even if that person had treated her terribly, and broken multiple promises to her. What kind of person would she be if she were to allow harm to come to someone? She wouldn't be the person that she could really respect. Besides, at the end of the day he was her first friend and the closest person to her at the moment.
She set her lips into a stern line. She would have to be strong and not crumble before these vicious gang members that she was about to meet. From the corner of his eye, Dog watched and studied her every reaction. He was told to report as much information as he could about her. He had to admit that she was very pretty, not his type, but attractive nonetheless. But he could not comprehend what Naruto was thinking when he agreed to let Kiba live in exchange for this girl. That young man was far too much of a hassle to simply be allowed to walk away with his life. But if Naruto wanted to make that mistake, then Dog would allow it. He would, at some point, report back to young man's father about all of this. Once he took note of her features, he halted in front of a large stopped with him.
"We're here." He informed her.
Hinata stared up at the large structure in front of them. It appeared dilapidated and not very well maintained. She shuddered at the thought of the types of people inside of a horrid place like this. But when "Dog" walked inside of the building, Hinata briskly followed after him. Much to Hinata's surprise, the inside of the building was quite clean and neat. It looked nothing like the outside at all. It even smelled nice as well with a hint of lemon zest in the air. She had expected to see garbage, rats and feces everywhere along with several exposed rats and cracks in the foundation. She had expected to also see bullet holes and blood along with guard dogs singing slave songs.
But no, the inside of the place was actually pretty nice. It looked like the inside of an office building. The walls were intact and looked like they had a recent paint job. She had to admit that the beige walls looked really nice. Hinata also noticed that the floor of the building was carpated as well. She was really shocked that the hideout of a gang was so nice!
She continued to follow him through several hallways and down a couple of flights of stairs. Eventually, he opened a door that lead them inside of a moderately sized room. It didn't have any windows or decor, but on the ceiling hung several artificial lights that helped light the room. They illuminated the dull gray walls which were matched by the cemented ground she was now stepping on. The room was nearly empty, save for a couple of objects and people that were there.
Still, she couldn't help the shocked gasp that escaped her lips once she noticed what she walked in to. She noticed exactly what she had walked into. There were three other people in the room. One of them was tied to the chair with a bag over their head. From the muffled groans she was hearing, it was easy to tell that he was being gagged as well. But what really made her heart stop was the fact that she recognized the muffled voice,
It belonged to Kiba….
Her hands flew to her mouth in shock. This was real. It was really happening. Her boyfriend had actually gotten involved with gang activity.
Again….
After promising her he would stop.
Her anger and fear bubbled up inside as she desperately tried to contain herself. This was the very last place she wanted to lose control of her anger. Her flying off the handle could easily result in both her and Kiba ending up killed. Her only goal right now was to make sure that the two of them managed to leave this place safely.
"Sorry about that." "Dog" apologized. "There was a lot of traffic."
"Really? Are you sure that it wasn't just this one giving you trouble." The man's harsh glare made Hinata fidget. Her gaze immediately switched to the ground, as she tried to avoid lingering eye contact.
"No, she was quite the perfect angel. Never even put up a fight."
Her eyes narrowed, and she bit his bottom lip harshly. This was the first slight shift in his tone. It came off as incredibly patronizing. It was like he was mocking her for peacefully going along with him. Trying to make her feel stupid for going along with him. But Hinata refused to let his words get to him.
"Well, enough wasting time Dog. Why don't you explain to this young lady why she's here?" One of the men asked.
"Actually, I think it would be better if her dear boyfriend would explain this all to her." "Dog" suggested.
The other men in the room chuckled.
"Sure, why not?" The man to the left of Kiba ripped the bag off of his head. Hinata couldn't stop herself from raising her hand and gasping.
That certainly was her boyfriend. He had a rag in his mouth acting as a gag. His face was smeared with dirt for the most part. HIs lips were cracked and there was dried blood surrounding them, as well as some underneath his nose. One eye was black and completely swollen shut. It looked almost impossible for him to open. A line cut from one cheek to the other. Although it was no longer bleeding, Hinata could tell that the wound was going to be severe enough to leave a scar.
This was bad. This was very bad. It had been quite a long time since she had seen her boyfriend in bad shape like this. Sure, he would have minor cuts and bruises in the past, but this was so much more. The worst it ever got was horrible enough for him to end up in the hospital, with the threat of jail also hanging over her head. It was one of the scariest moments of her life, and the closest the two had ever become to separating completely.
The gag was untied from his mouth. In response, Kiba drew in deep haggard breaths. He glared at the men as he smirked down at him. Kiba opened his mouth, presumably to cuss the man out, but was stopped.
"K-Kiba?' What's going on?" HInata questioned him, her tone soft and worried.
Kiba went from glaring at the man, to looking at her. At the very least, he did appear to be deeply ashamed. He only allowed his eyes to meet hers for a brief moment, before they went to staring at the ground. There was a very awkward moment of silence.
"Well? Aren't you going to give this young lady an answer? She did come all this why just to see you. And you don't wanna be rude, now do you?" "Dog' asked. His voice maintained the same level of lightness as always. But the undertone of the threat was still there.
Kiba quickly cleared his throat.
"Well, uh, Hinata. You s-see, I kinda got into some trouble recently, and I n-need your help." He told her, still refusing to even look at her.
Hinata's stomach clenched, and the floor seemed to drop out from underneath her. This situation was all too familiar. And he had already promised to never do this to her every again.
But she supposed asking him to keep his promises was a bit much.
"What happened?" She asked him again, her voice more firm.
For a split second, he did meet her eyes again. But only for that second.
"I just um, I messed up. I messed up really badly. And, um, well, now I need your help. Very, very, very desperately. And they said that if you didn't help me, they're going to...um..."his voice dropped down lower. "Kill me."
The words were so quiet, Hinata almost didn't hear it. in fact, she desperately heard that she had misheard him completely.
"Wh-what did you say?"
"That we're going to kill him." Dog answered her question. "You see, Kiba here our good friend, has done some pretty horrible stuff that has hurt our business. That simply won't do. We've given him chance after chance to change, and to make improvements. But he's only ever succeeded in failing us, or backstabbing us. And quite frankly the boss is sick of it."
Tears blurred her vision, and she threatened to fall to the floor in shock. She swayed on the spot, but "Dog" caught her arm, and managed to steady her.
"Easy there, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." This caused all the other men in the room to chuckle, but HInata didn't pay them any mind. INstead, she remained stunned.
KIll him….
They were going to kill him….
This wasn't a dream, or a joke. All of this was real. These gangsters, or mobsters, or whatever they wanted to be called. Were going to kill her boyfriend. Kiba had screwed up again, and now he was going to be killed for it. It had always been her greatest fear, something in the back of her mind. But having it finally realized was far worse than she initially thought.
"You're going to kill him?" She echoed back faintly. Her voice was so soft, for a second she doubted whether she had spoken at all.
"Yes." Dog replied. "Unless, you do something for us."
The second part of the statement hit her. She could do something, that was right. There was something she could do in order to save his life. He didn't need to die, no, there was still a way for her save his life."
"Me? W-what do I need to do?" She asked, her tone hopeful as she peered up at the masked man.
"Well," he steadied her on her feet, and released her. "It seems our boss has taken a special interest in you."
Hinata's stomach turned. That didn't sound good at all.
"Wh-what do you mean?" She asked him, her tone somehow fainter than the last time.
"I mean our boss would like to simply spend some time with you." "Dog" expounded.
"Doing what?" Hinata asked, very naively. She hoped that maybe he needed her to do some work for her. Maybe he wanted her to possible sell drugs in Kiba's stead.
But her hopes were lost as the other men chuckeld once more. Kiba seemed to flinch into himself.
"Well, he didn't really say. ALl that he ask is that you spend at least 24 hours with him. What you will be doing, well that's a mystery to me as well." Hinata felt light headed once more.
She didn't respond. She felt sick
and her skin was crawling. A random gang member, the very leader, the one who ultimately decided whether or not her boyfriend lived, wanted to spend time with her. And she became sick thinking about all the horrific things that he could possibly do to her. Hinata figured he wouldn't be the one to take no for an answer. It meant that if she wanted Kiba to live, she'd to exchange his life for her...
Hinata shivered.
But then, another part of her realized something. A darker, more spiteful side of her brought a sudden realization that she still had a choice. She could very easily do nothing. She wouldn't have to do a single thing at all. Hinata had the option of turning around right now, and leaving this all behind her for good.
"What-." She swallowed. "What if I d-don't want to?"
Kiba's head whipped up in her direction. HIs oe good eye was incredibly large.
"What?!" He exclaimed loudly. Hinata didn't think that she'd ever heard his voice reach that pitch before.
"If you refuse, then make no mistake, this fine young gentlemen will be killed immediately. But we won't bother you. You're completely innocent in everything he's done, so you shouldn't be punished." "Dog" told her.
So if she did nothing, she could continue with her crappy life, minus the horrible boyfriend. But if she helped him, her fate would be left up to a drug dealing murderer.
So….
So maybe….
Maybe, this time….she didn't have to-
"Hinata," he repeated her name again. "Please, please don't let me die. Please, I know that, that I haven't been the best person, but I-I'm scared.
Tears managed to flood his eyes, and streamed down his cheeks. They managed to tug a bit at Hinata's heartstrings. But she remained quiet.
"I know that I screwed up, and that I keep screwing up, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I don't know why I'm alway such a fuck up. But please, please don't let it like this. Hinata, I love you." His voice croaked at the last sentence.
Hinata at this point, couldn't stop a few tears from escaping her own eyes.
"I love you so much babe. And even if you decide to dump me, I don't care. I promise, I swear to you that I'll do everything in my power to make those 24 hours up to you for the rest of my life." His voice, still shaky, contrasted greatly with his eyes. They were fierce and determined. Something that first attracted her to him.
...And as much as she hated to admit it, a part of her still deeply cared for him. The two of them had a long, extended history together. He was her longest friend, and these days, he was really the only friend or family that she had.
As much as she hated this situation, and as much as detested him, she knew that she couldn't let him die. To be fair, he could have been anyone, and Hinata might've said the same thing.
With trepidation and dread in her heart, Hinata gave her answer.
"Okay, I'll do it." As the words left her,regret filled her almost immediately.
KIba's face changed almost instantly into one of relief. A wide grin spread across his bloodied face.
"Yes, oh thank you HInata! Thank you so much! I pr-" Before he could finish speaking the words, the gag went back into his mouth.
"Thank you very much for your response young lady." Dog said. He grasped her by her shoulder, and whirled her around, and began herding her out of the door.
"But wait, what-." She attempted to turn back to look at her boyfriend. She caught a glimpse of men shoving the sack back on top of his head. Panic and confusion seized her head.
What was going on? What were they going to him? Was he going to be okay? She had agreed to do what they had asked, didn't she?
"Now, now, now, don't worry your pretty little head about your boyfriend. We'll be taking good care of him until you keep up your end of the bargain. If we let him go with you now, you two might try and skip town. And we can't have that, now can we?" "Dog" chided her.
His explanation brought her some comfort, but it only reminded her of the horrible deal she had to keep up with. Tears still slipped down her cheeks as she allowed "Dog" to take her back outside the building. The drive back to her house was silent, and a complete blur to her. She barely registered when he parked in front of her crappy apartment complex.
"Here we are." He told her cheerfully.
"Oh. Okay." She replied with no emotion in her voice. She remained seated in her car. Her body refused to move.
The man next to her sighed, He got out of the car and walked towards her side. He opened the door for her and offered his hand. She didn't register it, but she did reach up to take it. He gently pulled her out of his car. He closed the door, and escorted her up to her apartment. Hinata thought the behavior was odd, but appreciated the gesture very much.
When the two of them came up to her door, he stopped her when she tried to reach for her keys.
"Listen," for the first time, his voice changed. It was a lot softer and more serious." I understand your fear, truly I do. However, I don't think that you have much to worry about. I work very closely with the boss, and I don't know why exactly he chose you, but I do know one thing. He will not do a single thing to you without your consent. For personal reasons, he has a special disdain for men like that. And if he does take it that far, it is imperative that you tell me, understand?" "Dog" said.
He peered deeply into her eyes. Hinata could not find a hint of deception in his tone. Yet she knew that this man was probably very skilled in the art of lying. But for some reason, she believed him. Maybe it was because she was so desperate to hear something good, but she believed him. It was stupid, but his words were the only source of comfort that she had.
Hinata nodded her head.
"Okay."
"Good." His light, fun tone had returned. "Now, in one week's time, I'll be back here in order pick you up. Make sure that you're here, and ready to go, alright?"
HInata nodded her head. A week was all the time she had to mentally prepare. A Singular week. Though she was grateful she didn't have to meet with this mysterious stranger the very next day. But a week was still far too soon.
"Great! I'll see you soon, ." With that, he turned and left her alone. Once again, Hinata was left alone dealing with the repercussions for her boyfriend's actions.
For the entire night, her neighbors once again endured the sound of her sobbing loudly in her bedroom.
A/N: There you go guys, another chapter done with. My hope is to update another rather old fanfiction that I have. Hopefully it won't be too long before my next update. Thanks, and have a nice night you guys!
